Big Brother is watching

“Big Brother” is watching us. But he is not alone. In fact, everyone is watching everyone.

Web cams, “red-light” cameras, traffic monitoring cameras, mini-recorders, electronic entry devices, cell phones, camera phones, video phones, police video cams… everywhere we go, everywhere we are there are people seen and unseen, who are viewing and recording our every move.

My daughter received a speeding ticket from a red-light camera that snapped a picture of her license plate as she sped through a Cleveland intersection at 4 miles per hour over the limit. The President is recorded by an unseen microphone as he holds a private conversation and his private statements become headline news. Your mug is recorded at the ATM as you make a withdrawal from your own bank account. (don’t pick your nose while waiting). The gaming tables in Vegas are viewed by the “eye in the sky”. Department stores have monitored their aisles by video for years. Caller ID tells us who is calling before we answer the phone. Parks, intersections, bridges, buildings & sidewalks are being monitored by web cams. If you are stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation ( or worse ) there is a better chance than not, that you are being video taped. And as if all of this isn’t enough; anyone with an up to date cell phone can record your actions on video and post them to the web before you even finish whatever it is you shouldn’t be doing!

Recently, former “Seinfeld” star; Michael Richards learned this lesson when he was captured by multiple cell phone videographers as he railed against a heckler at a California comedy club. Within hours this very disturbing video made it to the web and was viewed by millions thereby marring his reputation possibly beyond repair.

Could technology become society’s behavioral monitor? Perhaps the realization that “Big Brother” along with every other brother and sister ARE watching will impact our behavior as individuals.

I’m not sure if this is good or not.

Where were you?

I was in Mrs. Cochran’s third grade room at the old Royalton Rd School. I don’t recall what time it was. I think we were in reading class. Mrs. Gold, the school principal turned on the school PA system and announced that school was ending early because; “ President Kennedy has been assassinated.” Mrs. Cochran had to define assassination for some of us. As she did you could hear gasps from around the room and other classrooms. Some of the girls started crying. Our teacher herded us quietly to the door and led us to our respective busses. On the bus the conjecture of conspiracy had already begun. The “older” kids ( 7th & 8th graders) were speculating that the Russians were responsible. Other than that discussion, the bus ride home was silent except for the gentle sobbing of children who didn’t thoroughly understand the ramifications of what had just happened. They understood only that an American hero was gone.

When I arrived home, my mom was crying. Some of the neighborhood mom’s were at our house. They were all crying. Mrs. Trimber said she had the worst headache of her life. She left in silence, as did the other mom’s. The TV was on. Walter Cronkite and CBS News was already narrating the surreal events surrounding this national tragedy. And it was a national tragedy. Like nothing anyone had experienced ( at least in our lifetime )…

They were different times. It was before television was in control of information. ( It was on its way, but not there yet) It was before the Internet or even the dream of an Internet. We still had faith in government. Those who voted for Nixon instead of Kennedy buried the hatchet before inauguration day, and the nation was united in support of the seated President. The position was one that was awarded respect despite the color of your state. Kennedy was young, handsome, and athletic. His wife was poised, beautiful, admired, and loved by a nation that was not yet addicted to celebrities. The White House was affectionately dubbed: Camelot.

Then came Dallas...

Flags were at half-staff, schools closed, businesses shutdown, social activities cancelled. The nation was glued to the TV for days watching and listening to Walter Cronkite describe play by play every event of the day. We watched in real time the transportation of the fallen hero from Dallas to Washington. We saw Jackie follow the casket as it was removed from Air Force 1. We saw his blood still on her dress ( which she refused to change ) . We watched LBJ sworn in as our new President. We watched as Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused killer was himself gunned down outside a Dallas police station. We watched his killer; Jack Ruby arrested. We viewed the casket on display in the Rotunda. We listened to Samuel Barber's "Adagio For Strings" played mournfully as we watched the rider-less horse lead the procession to Arlington. We watched “John-John” salute his father as the casket passed.

The world changed during those days. The questions began to rise regarding the “real” circumstances behind Kennedy’s death. Conspiracy theories about this event led to conspiracy theories about everything else involving our government. The television coverage of the event taught news producers how to cover such a disaster. The ratings of those broadcasts taught broadcasters just how hungry the population was for “instant” news. The media had been born earlier, but it came to age in late November 1963.

Eventually, our schedules went back to normal. Schools re-opened, business began their day-to-day operations again, and people went back to their social calendars. But everything was different... November 22, 1963 was the last day of an age of innocence.

My Thanksgiving diet

I decided this morning that I need to lose some weight before Thanksgiving. So, today I donated blood and got a haircut.

That ought to do it.

If you cook it they will come

I ran across another blog the other day that is being published by a friend of mine who at one time worked with me in the crazy world of entertainment marketing. Jennifer is an extremely talented woman with a wonderful Seinfeld type sense of humor.

Anyhow, she has launched her own communication company and her blog provides some insight as to how she works. The blog is: http://ifyoucookittheywillcom.blogspot.com/ I highly recommend it.

( Jennifer, if you are reading this, notice that I used the word "insight"!!)

Interesting

I haven't heard even one story about election fraud...

VOTE!

Someone gave their life so that you could.